Lazy Daze arts festival cancelled

Town of Cary officials said Thursday that they will take no chances with Hurricane Irene and went ahead and canceled Saturday's Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival.

The event will not be rescheduled for later this year

After consulting with local, state, and federal forecasters and emergency management officials, town organizers said there is a significant potential for unsafe conditions due to high winds.

It's the first time the event has been canceled in what would have been its 35-year history.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our artists, entertainers, guests, volunteers, and workers," said Town of Cary Festivals Coordinator Joy Ennis.

Ennis pointed to the recent collapse of a stage at a state fair in Indiana in high winds and said she didn't want to see anything similar happen here.

"For over three decades, we’ve built a reputation for providing one of the most wonderful festival experiences in the nation, and with our not being able to meet that standard this year, we’re really left with no other choice but to wait until Lazy Daze 2012," she said.